20 Francs Pattern

Pattern coinage issued by the Banque Nationale du Rwanda in 1977 represents an active period of monetary experimentation as Rwanda worked to establish a stable national currency identity following independence in 1962. The KM#E6 designation places this firmly in essai territory — struck not for circulation but for official evaluation, likely presented to government authorities or retained in mint archives.

Brass was a practical choice for pattern work: cheap enough to produce multiples, durable enough to survive handling by committees. Whether this specific design was ever advanced toward a circulating issue is unclear from surviving records.